Author Archives: Jonathan Cloud

PACE Legislation Moving Forward in New Jersey

Posted on Tuesday, 23 December, 2014 | Leave a comment

The latest version of A2579 — amending legislation to the PACE statute approved in 2012, which has proved unworkable — has been passed out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee, and is now headed to the floor for a vote. An identical version is being shepherded through the NJ Senate by its passionate sponsor, Senator Bob Smith (D-Middlesex), with the full concurrence of its Republican Co-Sponsor, Senator Kip Bateman (R-Somerville).

Here is a portion of the “Statement” accompanying the release of the bill:

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Posted in CRCS, Energy, New Jersey, News, NJPACE, Sustainability

A Global Call to Share the World’s Resources

Posted on Tuesday, 23 December, 2014 | Leave a comment

Kosmos, a “Journal for Global Transformation,” recently published A ‘global call’ from our friends at Share the World’s Resources (STWR), which is in turn taken from Sharing.org (which offers its material under a Creative Commons License, as we’ve begun to do with our materials on The Contribution Economy).

The lead-in to their article expresses as well as anything I’ve seen recently the current problematique, the central challenge and response of our age:

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Posted in Contribute, Nonprofit Activities, Sustainability

Aside

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Posted on Friday, 28 November, 2014

Aside

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Posted on Friday, 28 November, 2014

Global 4C Proposal Wins in MIT Competition

Posted on Tuesday, 11 November, 2014 | Leave a comment

CRCS-MIT-CoLab-Award-2014A proposal authored by Dr. Delton Chen, and sponsored by CRCS, has won in the 2014 MIT Climate CoLab Competition. The Global 4C proposal was not the winner of the final prize, but it was a winner and very well received and recognized at the conference.

The conference itself — or at least the part we were present for — was itself quite fascinating, and remarkable for the variety of entries, the keynotes, and of course the conversations in the halls. We were unfortunately detained in New Jersey for a crucial meeting on Thursday morning (which turned out well, advancing the cause of PACE financing in New Jersey), and then set off for Boston in drenching rain, poor visibility, and at least four major accidents along the way. Harrowing. We finally made it around 3:45 to the venue, and got to the breakout room for your presentation just as you were answering the last question.

People felt the proposal was serious and well thought-through, and were happy to speak with us about it. The videos, and above all the new radio interview, linked below, have made the idea very clear and accessible, so we no longer have to spend much time clearing up misconceptions.
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Posted in CRCS, Energy, Money, News, Sustainability

Notes on the Contribution Economy

Posted on Saturday, 1 November, 2014 | 1 comment

Without really giving it too much thought, I’ve been calling the economic philosophy that we’ve been working on “the Contribution Economy.” The idea is simple, perhaps even simplistic: since people get the greatest satisfaction from “making their contribution,” why shouldn’t we have an economy based on their doing so? If everyone got to make their highest contribution, and felt they were doing so effectively, wouldn’t we have a more successful economy, i.e., one that satisfied more people?

Compensating people for what they contribute seems both the fairest approach, and a way to incentive what we want most, which is to encourage people to make their highest contribution to society overall. Of course, there’s a certain minimum that everyone requires to live (which many people currently fail to receive), and this ought to be considered their reward for simply “showing up.”

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Posted in CRCS, Money

Why We’re Asking

Posted on Saturday, 6 September, 2014 | Leave a comment

JCloudStorerSmAsking for money is one of the more challenging things that every charity has to do. The first question we need to answer, however, is “Why are we asking?” If we don’t have a clear and compelling answer, we’re handicapping ourselves from the start.

So here’s why.

  • It’s to give people the opportunity to contribute to the world they believe in.
  • It’s to give us the ability to keep working on creating a world that works, by providing “regenerative community solutions,” i.e., practical ways of restoring and building communities that last and become self-reinforcing and self-sustaining.
  • Ultimately, it’s to empower the world of generosity, the you-and-me world, rather than the you-or-me world.

In The Soul of Money, Lynne Twist, who has raised more than $150 million in individual contributions, tells the story of her own first monetary contribution:
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Posted in Contribute, CRCS, Energy, New Jersey, NJPACE, Nonprofit Activities, Sustainability

NJPACE: A Homegrown Success Story?

Posted on Monday, 18 August, 2014 | Leave a comment

We’re committed to a future that has New Jersey PACE as a local success story in the making. Working back from this future, what will this look like, and what will it mean for New Jersey?

Let’s imagine what New Jersey might look like in ten years with PACE. Continue reading →

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Posted in Contribute, CRCS, Energy, Money, New Jersey, NJPACE, Nonprofit Activities, Sustainability

10,000 Rain Gardens

Posted on Saturday, 16 August, 2014 | Leave a comment

Cities across the US are competing to install 10,000+ rain gardens as part of community-wide campaigns — Seattle is looking for 12,000 near the Puget Sound; Kansas City, Mo is creating 10,000; and Sustainable Jersey City thinks 11,000 is about the right number for Jersey City.

What’s even more interesting is that these are being seen as community engagement and revitalization projects. Jersey City’s is indeed “crowd-sourced”: Continue reading →

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Posted in CRCS, New Jersey, News, Nonprofit Activities, Sustainability

Crowdfunding for PACE in New Jersey

Posted on Thursday, 7 August, 2014 | Leave a comment

JCloudStorerSmThe challenges we face in New Jersey as a result of climate change are significant, and so therefore are the opportunities. The experience of Superstorm Sandy showed us just how ill-prepared we are for the more frequent recurrence of extreme weather; and how important it is that we set an example for taking action to mitigate our own greenhouse gas emissions, as other states are doing around us. And there’s also no doubt about the urgency of it — as you can see from this remarkable video:
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Posted in Contribute, CRCS, Energy, Hurricane Sandy, New Jersey, News, NJ Shore, NJPACE, Nonprofit Activities, Sustainability